multi-parametric MRI was applied to qualitatively and quantitatively investigate the degenerations of lumbar intervertebral disc and cartilage endplate. After measuring twenty-nine patients with low back pain, we found that, for intervertebral discs, its relaxation properties of T2 and T1rho, the image SNR as well as the fat fraction revealed strong correlations with its degeneration degrees. Moreover, zero echo time (ZTE) imaging also showed promise in the visualization of cartilage endplate. Therefore, multi-parametric MRI can be considered an effective tool in the evaluation of spinal degeneration, especially at the early stage.
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